According to the New York Post, a new French law would enforce strict sanctions against social media influencers that do not reveal retouched images or promote paid partnerships in certain industries like plastic surgery.
Bruno Le Maire, French Finance Minister, proposes penalties for those who violate the new regulations. These include photos or videos that have been filtered or retouched in order to be identified as such. Also, it prohibits “all promotion of cosmetic surgery…as part of a compensated partnership.”
According to reports, it is illegal to promote gambling or cryptocurrency via paid partnerships.
Influencers who are found guilty of violating the law could be sentenced to up to 2 years in prison and a maximum $30,000 fine. They could also be removed from social media platforms if found guilty.
FranceInfo was informed by Le Maire that this is the first European framework to regulate influencers.
He said, “We won’t let anything pass by,” while noting that the governing bodies should not discriminate against or over-regulate social media.
Minister continued, “Influencers should be subject to the same rules that apply to traditional media,” adding that the internet was “not the Wild West.”
France attempted to pass a similar 2017 law. It required commercial photos to identify any editing or retouching that made a model’s body appear thinner (or thicker), and mandated a “photographie-retouchee” disclaimer.
At the time, the health minister stated that popular images promoted “inaccessible beauty ideals” and the goal was to “prevent anorexia in young people.”
Social media platforms in the United States are under increased scrutiny. Journalists have been suspended from Twitter and there is a discussion at the federal level about banning TikTok.
While lawmakers are worried that the Chinese app is stealing American data, critics of the proposed legislation claim that it will give the government more power to censor Americans.
Politico.eu reports that Macron is only 31% approver and 68% disapprove.
